CD Review

Even with her wavy blonde hair and piercing blue eyes, Sophie B. Hawkins has remarkably managed to avoid sex symbol status in favor of her artistic integrity. Since the high profile debut 1992 release, Tongues and Tails, that garnered a Grammy nom and added, "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover," to your permanent memory bank, Hawkins has moved about without much commotion. Now, twelve years later, she is releasing her first independently recorded album, Wilderness, which strips the eclectic persona in favor of an album that annunciates womanly playfulness. It’s miles from that first record, but still leans closer to the Mariah Carey spectrum than the subtle singer-songwriter vibe she seemingly strove on.

Carefree expressions that tussle with continual images of sunshine and endless positivity abound throughout Wilderness. Even flowing out to the untamed album title and equally pristine cover shot of Hawkins in an open field. Unfortunately, the record itself fails to satiate primeval emotions and triumphantly free the urban soul, with its sterile ooze and overdone 80's synth pop mush. It appears Hawkins clearly got lost in her own rapture. Perhaps she should remember who her audience is the next time she searches for new ways to express the liberating female.